WISDOM OF SOLOiMON
WISDOM OF SOLOMON
685
li^lit of the Cross broke upon him, his method was chiingeil, and tile fruit appoareil, and that not only in specilically religious rosuUs, hut also in the social reforms that the old method (directly as it had sought them) failed to produce.
Amiel, who will not he su.-pecled of narrowness, or bondage to old forms, speaking of the efficacy of religion, writes: 'When the cross became the "foolishness" of the cross, it took possession of the masses. And in our own day, those who wish to get rid of the supernatural, to enlighten religion, to economise faith, lind themselves deserted, like poets who should declaim against poetry, or women who should decry love. . . . It is the forgetfulness of this psychological law which stultifies the so- called liberal Christianity. It is the realisation of it which constitutes the strength of Catholicism ' (Journal, Kng. tr., London, 1891, p. 171). In 'Cleon,' Browning adopts the same attitmle in his study of the failure of paganism, even in its forms of highest culture, to solve the riddle of human life and to answer the requirements of the human spirit. Cleon has heard of I'auluaand of Christus, but who can suppose that a mere barbarian Jew
'Hath access toasecretshutfromus'?
The doctrine of Christ preached on the island by certain slaves is reported by an intelligent listener to be one which no sane man can accept. And Cleon will not squander his time on the futile creed of slaves [Poetical Works, London, 1883, v. 299). But wisdom is justilied of her children. The best Humanism is founded upon the word of the Cross, because it ai)peals to needs that are common to all the generations of men. This iis the Wisdom St. Paul preached : Christ Jesus who w'as made unto us Wisdom — that is to say, right- eoilsness, and sanctilication, and redemption (1 Co 1^"); 'a triangular constellation, with Wisdom reigning in splendour in the centre' (cf. A. B. ilacaulay. The Word of the Cross, London, 1912, p. 162 f.).
Literature. — Art. 'Wisdom* in IIDB iv. and EBi iv. ; art. 'Philo' in IIDB v.; A. B. Davidson, Biblical and Literary Essai/s, London, 1902, p. 23 ; R. L. Ottley, The Religion of Israel, Cainbridf^e, li105, p. 172 ; R. H. Charles, Religioxis Development between the Old and the New Testanwnts, London, 1914, p. 206 ; C. F. Kent, The Makers and Teachers of Judaism {Historical Bible), do., 1911, p. 162; ExyiT viii. [1896-97] 393; Exp.SOi ser., xii. IGlff.; C. von Weizsacker, The Apostolic Aiie,\.,'E.ng. tr. 2, London, 1S97, p. 303ff. ; F.J. A. Hort, Six Lectvrcs on the Ante-Nicene Fathers, do., 1S95, passim; R. Rainy, The Ancient Catholic Church, Edinbnrcjh, 1902, p. 95; M. Dods, An Introduction to the NT, Lomion, 1SS8, pp. 100, 13911. ; KGT, do., 19U0, ad too. ; ICC, "1 Corinth- ians,' Edinbur^'li, 1911 (Robertson and Plunimer), 'Epliesians and Colossians,' do., 1897 (T. K. Abbott) ; R. Flint, Sermons and Addresses, do., 1899, p. 213. W. M. GRANT.
WISDOM OF SOLOMON.— 1. Place in Canon.—
This apocryphal book is not quoted by name in the NT, unless the citation from ' the wisdom of God' in Lk 11^' can be regarded as a paraphrase of Wis 2"'' -", but it is used in the Ejiistle to the Romans where 9-' is a reproduction of Wis 15', while in the I'.pistle to the Hebrews 1' is a refer- ence to Wis 15-'' (for, indeed, the word airaiyaana occurs nowhere else in the NT) ; further, in Mt 27''' a reference to Wis 2'* appears to be conflated with one to Ps 22", which perhaps has displaced the former (' If the just man be the son of God, he will help him and deliver him from his enemies'), though enough remains to permit of the identilication. The quotation in 1 Co 15" bears some relation to Wis 15" (where the ^uxn ("epyovaa and wyev/xa t^uTiKov are distinguished like the ^uxi) fuiira and TTvev/ia j-uoTToiow in the quotation), but is not likely to be taken directly from it.
The work was, therefore, accepted by the early Church as p.art of the t)T, and liguies as such in the Canon of Melito (c. A.D. 170), though some
MSS of Eu.sebius alter the text {HE IV. xxxiii. 15) so as to identify it with Proverbs, and this method is followed in the Syriac version. It is cited by Iren.TUs (H(cr. iv. 37, noticed by Eusehius, HE v.
29) ; .as 'the Prophet' by llippolytus [adv. Jud(eos, iv. 16); as 'Solomon' by Clement of Alexandria (Strom. VI. vii. \'M); and as 'Scripture' by Uiony-
sius of Alexandria (c. A.D. 260; M. J. Koutli, Reliquia; Sticrte, 4 vols., Oxford, 1814-18, ii. 406); also by early Latin Fathers, e.g. Tertullian (adn. Valctiti)!. 2). Ensebius in the 4th cent, classifies it with the AntiUgomena (HE VI. xiii. 6), and Kpi|ihanius (Hccr. I. i. 6) says the Jews have it, but regard it as of doubtful authenticity. Jerome says (I'raif. in Proverbiri) 'apu<l Ilebiieos nusnuam est.' In the Muratorian Canon it is said to have been written bj' .Solomon's friends in his honour. It would seem then that its authenticity was assumed in the early Church, but that about the beginning of the 4th cent, its place in the Canon became insecure.
Nothing, it appears, is to be learned about it from the Jewish writers of tlie 1st cent., Philo and Josephus. To the former Solomon is 'one of Moses' disciples,' and the author of the Proverbs ; he shows no acquaintance with the remarkable comments of Wisdom on the manna. Josephus (A7it. VIII. ii. 5) transcribes what is said of Solomon's works in Kings, and adds that he had left a collection of charms and spells whereby demons could be controlled ; this, as we learn from Bah. Gittin, 68((, was ultimately based on an interpretation of Ec 2'. The references to it in the Oral Tradition will be noticed in the next section.